Shimla, Aug. 31 -- Having witnessed devastation in the last three years owing to recurring flash floods and cloudbursts, the Himachal Pradesh government will bring in regulations on unplanned construction near rivers and drainage channels. Revenue, horticulture and tribal development minister Jagat Singh Negi said that the state government has been examining the issue of unplanned construction near rivers and drainage channels through a cabinet sub-committee, which has held several meetings. He said, "The cabinet sub-committee had submitted recommendations to the government aimed at developing a model panchayat concept, under which every panchayat could have its own Standard operating procedures (SOP) for regulating construction based on local geographical and environmental conditions". He said the proposed framework would provide local bodies with a structured mechanism to regulate construction while taking into account local geographical conditions. Under the proposed framework, panchayats could determine the required distance between construction and a river or stream based on local conditions. "This could be 50 metres or 100 metres depending on the area. The panchayat should decide how dangerous its particular drain or stream is, how far houses should be constructed from it and how far a settlement should be from a river," he said. Negi said, "The local bodies should be given a framework that takes into account the specific risks posed by streams, drains and rivers in their respective areas". Negi said larger buildings in rural areas would continue to be required to follow Town and Country Planning (TCP) norms. He said that the recurring flash floods and cloudbursts in Himachal cause significant loss of life when houses and other structures are located in vulnerable areas. "People can become trapped inside houses during sudden floods, particularly when buildings have been constructed close to rivers, streams and natural drainage channels" said Negi. "Our traditional method of construction now needs to change. Himachal is also in an earthquake-prone zone, so we need to adopt earthquake-proof construction technology," he added....